The Bible by David Alley

by David Alley

Season 1

Joshua 1 - Takes Charge | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Joshua 1 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. The title of the book is none other than the name of the Lord, Jesus. Only two books in the Bible have such clearly defined qualities in the self-descriptions as to be all about the Lord. First here is this book named after the Lord, and second is the Revelation in the NT, which describes itself as a revelation of Jesus Christ. Both books which reveal Christ are in the context of the judgement and destruction of his enemies. Joshua is a book about the conquest of Canaan in which God fulfils his promises to Abraham, and symbolically shows how we are to walk with God, overcoming evil, defeating strongholds, obeying Christ, and putting every weight aside. Is it any wonder that the sword and the cross are the same shape? Both are methods of death, but through them both we have victory and salvation too in the name of Jesus. The book starts with “Now,” showing that in the mind of Joshua this is connected to the previous books. Scripture tells us that Moses was faithful in all of God’s house (see Hebrews) even though he didn’t enter the land because of his one example of disobedience. We are all aware of Moses’ flaws despite his faithfulness. Yet Joshua is also faithful in all he is given, but we are not told of any flaws. This is in my opinion because he is a picture of the perfect Christ, who does everything the Father gives him. Both Jesus and Joshua here begin their missions on the banks of the Jordan river. Jesus is said to have been baptised in the same area where the Israelites are about to cross over to inherit the land. The Jordan is highly symbolic, not of salvation, but of coming into the promises of God, and into the indwelling of the Spirit. The conquest begins with Joshua commanding them to prepare, because in three days they were to cross the river. Three days is the time period of Christ in the ground, and the biblical number of completion.

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Sep 8, 2022

16:31

Deuteronomy 34 - The Death of Moses | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Deuteronomy 34 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Deuteronomy 34 is the last of the chapters in the Law. Although the first five books are written by Moses, this last chapter is probably written by Joshua, who also wrote the next book of Joshua. Moses died on Mt Nebo, and the Lord buried Moses. In Jude 1:9 there is an interesting additional piece of information. The devil disputed with the angel Michael over Moses’ body, and the angel said “the Lord rebuke you” to Satan. According to the church father Origen, this information came from a document called the Ascension of Moses. Verse 10 says “Since then, there has not arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom Yahweh knew face to face.” This was true when Joshua wrote it, and remains true to this day. Though no-one since Moses, except Christ, has known God in such a personal way, the opportunity to truly know God remains for all who are hungry.

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Sep 7, 2022

7:33

Deuteronomy 33 - Moses' Final Blessing on Israel | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Deuteronomy 33 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Deuteronomy 33 contains the benediction of Moses. It is the last words of a very great man. In the ancient near east it was customary on a death bed for patriarchs to say important things, just as we saw with Jacob in Genesis 49. This death bed blessing however doesn’t have some of the obvious nasty “blessings” that Jacob spoke and is much more positive. I call this a true blessing, because it is a passage of grace, with redemption being extended by God to every tribe, regardless of their past, or what God knows their future will be. For example in verse 6 Moses says of Reuben. “Let Reuben live, and not die;” This is a great example of the redemptive blessing given here by Moses. While the blessing of Jacob was true, here God’s mercy is extended despite the failure of Reuben. This is the way of grace, and the message of the gospel for those who accept it. All of the tribes are treated like this. Another great example is to compare and contrast Jacob’s words over Levi in Genesis 49and Moses’ words over Levi. Another example is Dan. In Jacob’s blessing Dan was a snake that bit the rider. While in overall history Dan was such a thing, being the location of one of the two golden calves that helped bring down Israel, here Moses redeems Dan. Dan is no longer a snake, but a lion. In verse 26 it says “There is no one like God... who rides on the heavens for your help.” The meaning of these blessings is clear. No matter who you are, or what you have done, or what has been spoken about you in the past, it does not define your future. The Lord himself speaks life and blessing over you, knowing both your past and future, and he holds out life. All that remains is for you to respond.

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Sep 6, 2022

13:08

Deuteronomy 32 - The Song of Moses (continued) | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Deuteronomy 32 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Deuteronomy 32 contains the song of Moses, which the Lord gave him in the previous chapter, just days before his death. According to Coffman’s commentary there are three divisions in this song: the faithfulness of God and the faithlessness of Israel, verses 4-18. The punishment and the need of its execution by God, verse 9-33 God's compassion upon the low and humbled state of his people, verses 34-42 Strikingly in the above three points, God cannot really bring people into true grace until they are humbled. While Israel was truly humiliated when in slavery, they were not contrite because their humiliation seemed to have been caused by an external source. But as time progressed it became clear that they were the cause of their own terrible state. This leads to internal humility, allowing God to give true grace and lift them up. While God is always compassionate, he cannot extend compassion to lawbreakers, but once the heart has seen its own evil state, now it is in position to receive from God. This song is called a didactic poem - or a teaching song. It was designed to teach the Israelites and it still teaches us today. The song covers the future of Israel after it enters the land, then the corruption of the nation, then its punishment, God’s final redemption and surprisingly the inclusion of the Gentiles. Paul uses a quote from this song to make his point in Romans 10 about the Jews becoming jealous of the Gentiles. After this song it outlines what would happen to Moses and how he was to die on Mt Nebo at the age of 120.

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Sep 5, 2022

20:24

Deuteronomy 31 - Joshua Appointed as Moses Successor | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Deuteronomy 31 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Deuteronomy 31 Moses is probably just a few days from death, and Joshua who has been hugely faithful (a picture of Christ in name and life) is about to lead them. The language in this chapter has changed and no longer sounds like a speech. It's back to narrative like in the earlier books. In verse 2 Moses says he cannot go in or come out. Some people think Moses is old and frail, but later in chapter 34:7 he says his eye wasn’t dim and his vigor unabated. It just means God wouldn’t allow him to go on - he wasn’t limited by ability but by permission. In verses 9-13 it outlines how the Israelites were to read the book of the law every seven years. God thus established a system where everyone would hear the words of the Lord regularly, and learn to obey. Bible reading is crucial for everyone. Earlier in Deuteronomy it said that “man would live by every word that came from the mouth of God.” We must not think of living in earthly terms like food and drink, but in terms of real living. The realities of God are much more real. We too must establish a system in our lives to constantly consider the words of the Lord. In verses 14-15 there is a kind of handing over ceremony from Moses to Joshua. Both go into the tent of meeting with God. So now Joshua, just like Moses is standing in the visible presence of the Lord. While with God…. God prophecies what will happen and predicts that Israel will play the harlot. It's a sad view into the future. The problems begin when we are satisfied with what this world has, and we stop being hungry for the Lord. This isn’t an ancient problem, but a human problem. Finally God gives Moses a song to teach Israel, which is covered in the next chapter. Strikingly in Psalm 90 we also have a psalm of Moses. Following that is Psalm 91, one of the most famous of all psalms, a prayer for protection, which although is anonymously written, sounds amazingly like Moses. Jewish tradition says it was written by Moses. Thus we have three songs in the scripture by Moses.

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Sep 4, 2022

14:17

Deuteronomy 30 - The Choice of Life or Death | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Deuteronomy 30 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Deuteronomy 30 the speech of Moses is starting to wind down, even though there are still 4 chapters after this one. It now continues prophetically as the last few chapters have been. In verse 1-3 Moses talks about a future moment when in captivity, their thoughts turn back to God. Much later the people that returned from the Babylonian exile were a different people to those just a hundred years prior. They had learned their lessons, and seemed to have been cured from their idolatry. Yet they were still tempted away from God by other things, and their hearts became proud in other ways, as Jesus would point out in Matthew 17 and other places. Verse 6 is one of my favourite verses. “Yahweh your God will circumcise your heart, and the heart of your offspring, to love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul…” It is a wonderful promise to us of what God will do for the penitent. The Lord told a parable in Luke 18 about two people in prayer, the Pharisee and the tax collector. The former was proud and his prayer was not heard, but the latter humble and heard. This promise is for those who seek God with a humble and repentant heart. THe Lord hears and responds with grace. Verse 14 talks about having God’s word in our hearts. The key is always to have God’s law in our hearts. Romans 10 also shows us that it is the person who ‘believes in his heart’ who is saved. This generation that Moses addressed did so and were greatly successful as the book of Joshua shows, but sadly they failed to pass on these things to their children as the book of Judges shows. The chapter closes with Moses outlining their choice between life and death. Choices always seem simple when spelled out in this manner, but the heart so easily leads us away.

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Sep 3, 2022

11:05

Deuteronomy 29 - The Covenant Renewed at Moab | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Deuteronomy 29 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Deuteronomy 29 Moses makes a distinction between the law given at Horeb and the law here on the plains of Moab. There are not two laws, but one. The naming of the book Deutero Nomah in greek doesn’t mean there were two laws, but rather the second time the law was reiterated. Here the people have agreed to its terms in a binding way. In verse 4 Moses observed that even though they saw God’s wonders, they did not have a heart to see, or ears to hear. Their hearts were not enlightened. It's possible to be in church for a lifetime and not see the wonders of God. In Ephesians 1:18 Paul told the church that he always prayed that their hearts would be enlightened. This is the need of every believer. In verse 15 Moses comments that this covenant is also for some who are not present as he spoke. This is a covenant made with their descendants too, even though they are not present. This is the nature of God, being a generational God. He was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, even when it was just Abraham. And so are the Lord’s dealings with us, they are for our children too, both natural and spiritual, and we are to walk with them as we also do with the Lord. The consequences of our lives go far beyond us. In verse 22-24 it compares the future judgement with Sodom and Gomorrah. In Genesis the land of Sodom and Gomorrah was so desirable for sheep and goats that Lot wanted it for his flocks. He looked up and saw the green pastures. Today it is pure desert. Thus Sodom and Gomorrah are a great illustration of the dryness that comes on those who turn their backs on the Lord. Verse 29 is a very memorable verse, often quoted by preachers. It states that the secret things belong to God. There is a lot about God we do not understand, and there must be many secrets. This is what eternity with God is all about. Getting to know God requires an eternity because of the nature of who He is. Meanwhile on the earth, we trust Him while we seek to Know Him.

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Sep 2, 2022

14:27

Deuteronomy 28 - Blessings for Obedience | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Deuteronomy 28 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Deuteronomy 28 we now come to the second longest chapter in the Bible, and the longest chapter (just) in the Pentateuch, the five books of the law. Here the specifics of the curses and the blessings of the covenant are going to be outlined. God seems to think long-term, so while the first generation may not have seen all the blessings or curses, it builds over time. God thinks of a corporate “you.” This was true of them as we see historically, but also true of us too. Up to verse 14 are the blessings. These blessings are incredible, any one of them a great promise to the believer, but of course these are in a context of the one who obeys and walks with the Lord. It is easy to be tempted to take the good parts of scripture for ourselves and throw out the other parts, such as all the verses that are about to follow in this chapter. And naturally we often have an elevated view of our own righteousness, so we would never dream that we are not always wholehearted toward the Lord, but sadly we are often misled. From verse 15 are the curses. The curses get increasingly worse and it goes on, and they are gruesomely detailed. If the curses stopped at verse 44, we might easily think that these things were fulfilled in the invasions of the Assyrians and the Babylonians. However the continued disobedience of Israel and Judah meant that these things were to ultimately culminate in the Roman Invasion and the complete destruction of not just the Jewish nation, but also the Jewish system which Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24. John the Baptist was aware of it when he said “the axe is at the root of the tree.” (Matt 3:10) In verse 49 it speaks of a nation from far away, swooping down as an eagle. This was none other than the Roman Empire with the eagle as its insignia. Italy is as far away, and as foreign a nation as you could get in ancient times. Josephus’ remariable book “Wars of the Jews” outlines the three and a half year campaign the Roman armies fought in Palestine and the terrible sieges, especially that against Jerusalem. Verse 53-57 outline the terrible cannibalism that would happen under siege warfare. Josehpus in his writings later outlined the most horrible examples of cannibalism during the siege of Jerusalem. As sad as it is to recall here, what Moses prophesied, and what the Israelites agreed to by saying Amen came to pass about 1510 years later. (1440 BC + 70AD) In verse 63 God says he will take the land off them. The land which was promised to them, was also promised to be removed from them if they failed to obey, which they did, and which happened. The nation that is there now, also called Israel, is a secular nation with a democatic government, nothing at all like the biblical nation of Israel. We are now the people of God, said Peter in 1 Peter 2:10. Paul also said the Jews and the Gentiles have now been joined with no distinction. (Romans 10:12)

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Sep 1, 2022

28:07

Deuteronomy 27 - The Covenant Renewed | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Deuteronomy 27 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Deuteronomy 27 we now come to the sanctions of the covenant, and one of the saddest sections of the entire bible. Briefly Moses is now talking about himself in the third person. This isn’t a problem as some think, but done this way because of the formality of the covenant terms and sanctions in line with ancient treaties. It then outlines the building of an altar on Mt Ebal. Mt Ebal is still there naturally, but so is the altar. A simple flyover on Google Earth reveals a quite large non natural pile of rocks, left from this time. There are also many pictures on Google Images of this, even though the mountain is now off limits courtesy of the Israeli government. Mt Gerizim and Mt Ebal are amazingly close together. They are perhaps only 4-500 feet apart at the base, but are substantial enough for a good amount of people to stand on each mountain. The view of these is worth a flyover on Google Earth. The city of Nablus is in between. Mt Gerizim is the mountain referred to in John 4 by the Samaritan woman. Samaritans only held to the Law, but not the rest of the Old Testament, so for her, “this mountain” was Mt Gerizim. God sends 6 tribes up the mountain of curse, and six up the mountain of blessing. This prompts a question. Did God curse 6 tribes and bless 6 tribes? No, the blessing and cursing of the covenant was by obedience, not by birth. This is always the way in God’s system. Nevertheless it is interesting that on Gerizim only tribes of Jacob’s wives are chosen, and on Ebal, tribes of Jacob’s servants, plus the oldest and youngest of the wives’ children are chosen. There is a pattern there, but what does it mean? And now we begin the sanctions proper, with the worst of them to come in the next chapter. Here the people agree to the terms by saying Amen repeatedly offering proof that amen isn't always used as you think.

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Aug 31, 2022

16:42

Deuteronomy 26 - Offerings of First fruit and Tithes | Bible Podcast, David Alley, Peace Christian Church

In this video listen to Deuteronomy 26 read by David Alley, followed by comments and prayer. In Deuteronomy 26 we have a key turning point in Moses' speech. The entire thing is a suzerainty treaty and we transition from the end of the terms, to the beginning of the outcomes for obedience/disobedience. Before the transition it refers to Abraham as “a wandering syrian” or in other translations “a wondering aramean” which is how this is commonly remembered. However Abraham came from Ur of the Chaldees which to modern ears is neither Syrian or Aramean, but Chaldean. The answer here is simple - his family was from Aram as was seen in Genesis when Isaac was sent there to get a wife. But Terah had moved the family, including Abram to Ur of Chaldea, but was not ethnically Chaldean. Also before the key transition, it outlines how the tithe was to be spent every third year. It was to be given to the Levites, foreigners, fatherless, widows and the poor. Imagine a society where 10% of all revenue of an entire nation given every three years to the poor. Social care and concern in history began in the Law with the Lord our God. Now in 16-19 we start into the nitty gritty of a Suzerainty treaty, the arrangement a sovereign makes with a people who are becoming a part of his rule. This was something customary in ancient times, and God was making use of this as something many people would have been familiar with, to have a people whose monarch was God. Up until now we have had the terms, and in the following chapters we have the outcomes that will result from following these terms. It is very important to understand that the consequences of disobedience are what happens to people who do not follow God, even outside of a covenant. The implications of rejecting God are always catastrophic, but here it is formalised, and as we will see in chapters 27-28, it is also very prophetic. One key difference is that this treaty/covenant is relational in nature, whereas those of ancient near east treaties were not relational but power based.

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Aug 30, 2022

16:15

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